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Disciples of Chaos
= The Disciples of Chaos, The Spawn of Goruch = Devices and Uniforms: The Spawn of Goruch are not hard to spot, but they have no specific uniform. Their only constant is that their clothes are patchwork—made from pieces of as many different types of clothes possible. Bits of armor, fur, leather, fine linens, beggar’s rags, or whatever else they pull together (or take from others) serve as their garments and priestly robes. It is interesting to note that men will often have parts of women’s clothes in their outfit, and vice-versa. The Disciples of Chaos also tend to either scar or paint their faces. The coloration is almost always black and white (or simply black), and consists of random patterns across the exposed face (and sometimes other exposed skin). Ideally, the face of a Disciple should represent the chaos without and within. Deity: Goruch is the name by which the Disciples of Chaos know their god. Goruch is not human-like in any sense. It is the result of random forces; a shapeless, faceless mass of a being. Goruch does not represent any attributes, claims no territories, and seeks no worship. It is simply a force, a powerful consciousness claiming to have been formed from the insensible conglomeration of cosmic matter. Dominion: Goruch does not claim any sort of dominion—it claims to have created the world and/or watched it created from the chaos of the early universe. Goruch also claims that all the other gods are also such random constructs, or the fitful imaginings of mortals. Goal: The Disciples of Chaos seek to tear down and break apart all that is structured. They see the world as meaningless randomness. Anyone who believes in structure or order is either a mislead fool or a self-deluded idiot. To show the world that there is no order, nothing lasting or planned, the Spawn do their best to destroy order whenever they can. They will kill important leaders and members of organizations and orders, disrupt rites and festivals of other religions, work to weaken political ties and incite violence, destruction, and chaos wherever they can. Territory: The Spawn recognize no political boundaries, and seem to pop up anywhere. Since they do not easily congregate into any kind of group structure, they tend to work alone or in very small, fluid groups. When not engaged in actual sabotage, they often live alone in remote places—while some may linger among populations for a while, their utter abhorrence of order and their radical ideals almost always begin to seep through. Some have become adept at pretending to be members of “normal” society and work to erode social structure from within, but these calmer Disciples of Chaos are, thankfully, rare. Genesis: The Disciples of Chaos have most likely been around for a long time, but only in recent years have their numbers become great enough to draw attention. Few Disciples tend to explain their actions, but the general consensus among those who can be made to speak is that as the world becomes more ordered—as nations cement their boundaries, trade grows stronger, and general social order becomes more set and predictable—Goruch grows more restless and angry. This order disgusts the Disciples, and their work has taken on a higher pitch because of it. So far, the Disciples have not been able to create the true havoc of which they dream—their disorganized nature simply works against them accomplishing massive disruption. Still, they are a dangerous inconvenience, and have hampered the efforts of such groups as the Veldron Knights and the Heralds of Akkoria; interestingly enough, they also antagonize such groups as the Sequestrum and the Rynith Guard, whose order is just as abhorrent to them as any more noble organization. They have been a bane to efforts in such nations as Icara and Chalter Medrium, and they tend to cluster in areas already rife with social and/or political unrest, such as Halgudar, Rynith, and Quivera. Present: The Disciples of Chaos have drawn attention to themselves more frequently in the last few years. As always, they are random and scattered, but there simply appears to be more of them. They continue to attempt to disrupt any important function in the world around them—they will sometimes destroy roads and bridges, sink ships, or attack travelers in an effort to reduce organized communication and commerce. Alliances: The Disciples of Chaos take no alliances for long enough to make them worth the name. The Spawn work with no one else, and rarely work with each other. Enemies: No group bears the Spawn any kind of fondness, and most organized religions, governments, and orders—if they recognize the Disciples at all—are seriously opposed to the work of the Spawn. Leadership: The Disciples of Chaos have no organized structure and no leadership to speak of. A powerful Disciple might gain the aid of others of the faith, but only as long as he could hold some power over them. By nature, Spawn will rebel against any leadership imposed on them. Divisions: None. Goruch grants whatever power and/or visions it wishes to its Disciples, and sends them on whatever errands its whims dictate. Code and Prohibitions: The Disciples of Chaos have a very hard time following any kind of order and remaining quietly within any social hierarchy. They have no codes other than that the individual wishes to follow. If any Spawn were to pass up an opportunity to break down an organized structure or otherwise spread chaos, Goruch would be very displeased, and would most likely find some way of punishing that Disciple. Or not. Chaos is like that, and may or may not reward or punish its Disciples, as its whim dictates. Recruitment: On very rare occasions, a Disciple of Chaos may take another under his wing for some period and infect his mind with the seeds of chaos. Those who show a strong tendency toward rebellion and disorder are encouraged to go with those feelings and build them up to the greatest degree possible. Usually, Goruch itself sends some kind of vision to its chosen Disciples. Whatever that vision may contain, it almost always renders the subject mad by most standards. Normal dissatisfaction with the existing order or rebellion are not normally enough to fuel the intense hatred for structure which the Spawn exhibit. The subject may receive further visions, or they may be left alone. Some few people manage to come through their vision and not turn to Chaos, but the experience almost always leaves them changed and at least a touch odd. Typical Member: The Spawn of Goruch may be of any race, class, gender, or occupation—there is no pattern. Goruch seems to choose those who have some dissatisfaction with existing order, and those who are unbalanced enough for the visions to push over the edge; because of this, there tend to be more Disciples chosen from the poor and oppressed than the rich and powerful—though, with Chaos, anything is possible. Once chosen, a Disciple will fall out of whatever social groups they may have been in and normally will wander alone, doing what damage they can to enlighten others as to the transitory nature of existence. Generally Known: Disciples of Chaos are very rare, and rarely heard of. People tend to treat them with fear and loathing, but this is usually because of their odd appearance and antisocial behavior. Since Goruch only works with individuals, and there is no standard canon from which the Disciples work, few recognize them as serving any particular deity. Those learned enough to recognize them are rare. Quote: “Deluded fools! I do this for your good! Nothing lasts! Find solace only in surrendering to the chaos around you!” Out of Game: There are few hard and fast rules to playing the Spawn, as fits their nature. The oddity of dress and action are their only real parameters. Since the Spawn are drawn from many walks of life, they may have any skills, spells, or abilities they had before. Contact: Michael Slusser Red File: There is no Red File which must be consulted before playing a Disciple of Chaos. If you have some deep question or idea for change, consult the Michael A.